The French Invasion
by wolvesinthenight
Summary: AU. Helene, a disgraced assassin, travels to the West Indies in search of Mary Read and is quickly drawn into the island's piracy and conflict. She runs into Kenway, steals his ship and the rest becomes history. Spoilers. takes place after "To Suffer Without Dying".
1. Chapter 1

Even after the sun had set the heat on Tulum did not abate. Helene Moreaux felt herself sweating beneath the thick cloth of her shirt and breeches. They were among the few belongings she had brought from France and were completely unsuitable to the climate of the West Indies.

Tediously creeping through the ferns and brush of the jungle she felt envious of the assassins' attire. The loose fitting light cloth and bare midriffs would have raised eyebrows in Europe but were far more sensible in the island's climate. Helene came ashore when the sun had set and crept through the assassins' camp looking for her target. The evening deepened during her careful search but she'd known Ah Tabai was there.

Crouched amongst leafy ferns and bushes for a spell, she felt her knees growing stiff. The night air buzzed with insects- including fat mosquitoes which seemed to be doing their best to disrupt her an opportunity while the guards changed shift, she scampered from the security of vegetation and into the ancient Mayan ruins. The crumbling stone was not as easy to hide amongst but she sensed she was getting close.

Fortunately the interior of the ruins seemed deserted for the most part. Helene ducked into stone doorway and found herself in a narrow corridor. The stone of the walls were cool to the touch and the air was dry and dusty. She heard soft voices echoing from a chamber ahead and continued her path.

"Anne Bonny will have her child here - and she is welcome to stay as long as she chooses", Helene made out the unflappable and stern voice of Ah Tabai before an impolite scoff interrupted her.

" Is she to join your order?"

" Her welcome here is not dependent on her joining us" Ah Tabai answered patiently, " And I am more interested in what you intend to do next-Or should I have left you on that tavern floor?"

" Is it gratitude you're expecting, then?"

" Hardly. I have known you for too long Captain Kenway."

Helene lingered outside the doorway listening the conversation between the two men. She'd heard of Kenway- Mary had mentioned him in a letter some years ago. A friend and fellow pirate- but also an insufferable trouble maker.

She felt something dark and heavy bloom uncomfortably in her chest as she listened to Ah Tabai's voice. Recalling the reason she was in the West Indies she grit her teeth and burst into the chamber.

* * *

Edward had never been able to picture Mary living among the assassins at Tulum. Being back on the island was different now. He was constantly reminded of her- here were the people and creed she'd valued so highly. He wanted to remember her as Mary Read, otherwise known as James Kidd- a cunning scoundrel, fellow pirate, a friend with the annoying habit of rousing his conscience at inopportune times.

Part of him wanted to sail away on the Jackdaw and never return, smaller part of him wished to stay and learn more of her order. More than anything, though, he wanted to forget that Mary Read or James Kid had ever existed. Edward was tired of losing people he knew - to death, greed or betrayal.

It seemed every step closer to The Observatory came at a dear cost- yet after all this time his prize still lay past his grasp.

Facing Ah Tabai in the ruins of Tulum his body ached with fatigue and the after-effects of too much rum and too little food. He thought of how he'd come to be sitting with the mayan assassin.

Some days ago Ade had found him passed out in a tavern in Kingston. His former quartermaster then unceremoniously dragged him back to the Jackdaw where they'd discovered half his crew had deserted. Whilst Edward had been maintaining his rum-soaked bender it seems they'd gotten tired of waiting around with no pay. Ade offered neither comfort nor admonishment - for which Edward was grateful, he couldn't decide which reaction would have been worse.

They'd sailed the Jackdaw to Tulum, Edward spending the majority of time in his cabin, making generous use of the hard-won stores of rum on the ship- to the annoyance of his remaining crew. He remembered once telling his Hornigold he had no need for a helmsman - it kept him sharp to be at the Jackdaw's wheel. What would his friends have said about the state of him then? He imagine Thatch in particular would have some choice advice and colorful language to share.

Ah Tabai needed to see him- or this is what Ade had claimed when they'd begun the hike into the jungle and to the assassins' camp. But so far though, sitting in the dimly lit chamber in the ruins, the conversation with him had been of trivial matters.

He'd not had drink since he'd come ashore and found himself growing short tempered with Ah Tabai's calm demeanor. After everything that'd happened, recently...

" Is it gratitude you're expecting, then?" he offered the man bitterly as they continued their conversation.

" Hardly, I've known you for too long Captain Kenway"

Just then he saw a look of surprise flicker on Ah Tabai's face and felt a blow land on the back of his head. He stumbled from his seat with a groan before turning to face his attacker. Before he could draw any weapons he felt something small and needle-like pierce his side and staggered back in surprise.

Almost immediately his vision began to blur and his knees weaken. He collapsed on the floor and looked up.

A women was aiming a flintlock at Ah Tabai. She was dressed plainly, dark hair bound in a simple plait, her nose and cheeks were sunburnt and her eyes were steely.

Whatever drug had laced her blade was working quickly, he could feel heaviness setting into his limbs and his chest began to tighten. Though paralyzed, he still remained conscious. He watched the woman take a step closer to the old assassin.

" I thought you might come", said Ah Tabai calmly, though he was perfectly still as he faced the barrel of the pistol.

" You traitorous bastard", the woman said softly to him. She had a strange lilt to her accent that Edward recognized vaguely as French in origin.

" So you have come to kill me then, Helene? I expected you might." The woman offered no reply to this, " Did you decide this before or after your trip to Kingston?" Ah Tabai finished and Helene narrowed her eyebrows,

" You've been keeping tabs on me?"

" Word has traveled of that massacre regardless." Ah Tabai replied, " You have left a trail of bodies on your journey through these islands"

" They didn't give me what I was looking for- and the answer to your question is; before. I decided to kill you before Kingston- only now it will be in payment for two lives instead of one.".

Ah Tabai stiffened almost imperceptibly.

" And what would Mary say? Do you think she would approve of this course of action?"

" How can you speak her name so calmly?" The woman said, her voice low and strained. She took another step toward Ah Tabai but kept herself , and her pistol, out of his reach, " This is suppose to be a brotherhood, you were suppose to look out for her- and now..." She trailed off.

" Mary was an assassin- not an easy or a safe life but she chose it knowing the danger-"

" Ce sont des conneries" the woman swore to herself before adding venomously, " She didn't die fighting Ah Tabai! You left her to rot in prison while you cowered in this godforsaken jungle! All these bloody people here and you sent no one to help her? Her death is on you! - her and her child!".

It made sense to Edward now - why he had been called there. After Mary had died Ah Tabai told him the assassisns intended to look for Mary's daughter. So the babe was dead then. He writhed on the floor, resisting the effects of the drug.

At the noise, Helene glanced in his direction and Ah Tabai saw his chance. He lunged for the pistol but the woman pivoted and stabbed him in the forearm with the wristblade of her free hand.

" You're getting slow" she said, leveling her pistol at his head again, " You killed her Ah Tabai, and now I'm going to kill you".

Her aim was steady as she was about to take the shot. Blood was bubbling darkly from his wrist and splashing on the dusty stone floor. Helene wasn't stupid, she knew killing Ah Tabai would not soothe her grief. It was a start, though.

She squeezed the trigger-

Something heavy collided with her as the shot went off, sending the bullet into the stone next to Ah Tabai's head.

Edward Kenway had tackled her to the ground, half-drugged and stinking of spirits. Disorientated for a moment, she tried to extricate herself from her scuffle with the pirate.

They both grappled for a weak point but he was slow and still heavily drugged. Helene sent her knee sharply into his stomach and he rolled away on the floor, gasping for breath. She leapt to her feet and drew her sword- it was too late though, scores of assassins flooded the chamber.

" Do not harm her!" Ah Tabai shouted at them as they overpowered her and bound her wrists and feet.

" A pox on you Edward bloody Kenway!" She spat at the pirate, " You've robbed me of my revenge!"

The assassins dragged her out into the jungle as sensation began to creep back into Edward's limbs. He began to struggle back to his seat, deciding that his visit to Tulum was now officially over.

* * *

The drug had worked its way quickly out of his system and Edward was back on his feet only a few minutes after the assassins had taken Helene away. Only his hands still felt stiff and clumsy as he clenched and unclenched them. He and Ah Tabai were headed back to the Jackdaw. Edward was planning to make for Havana.

" We only discovered the child's fate recently" Ah Tabai told him as they walked. " A baby girl - she was born too soon and too sickly."

" I see " Edward said simply, not quite knowing how he should react. They remained silent for the rest of the hike. Ah Tabai was stern and expectant and Edward thought he knew what the man wanted to hear; but whatever mistakes he'd made and whatever he owed the assassins Edward still found himself reluctant to throw in his lot with the order. He was still too raw after Mary's death.

What the woman Helene had said in the ruins made a some amount of sense and Edward realized he too had been harboring some resentment toward Ah Tabai. Why had he chosen then to intervene and not sooner?

" Who is she?" he asked the man as they drew closer to shore and the Jackdaw.

" My would be assassin? Helene Moreaux. She was a close friend of Mary and a former pupil of mine. They met during Mary's time in the military. When she began to train with us so did Helene"

" She's part of your order?"

" No. She left before she was fully initiated."

Edward took a moment to ponder this information and realised how little he actually knew of the assassins.

" Why?"

" I cannot answer that for certain. She took to the training, and to the work...but she had trouble with the creed- always too cynical and independent"

Edward had nothing to say to this and so they continued on to the Jackdaw in silence. The ship was anchored a little off and he could see some lamps had been lit on the deck and glowed cheerily.

As they rowed to the ship he watched the figure of Ah Tabai retreat back into the island's jungle. He decided that ,yes, there was indeed truth to what Helene had said. Ah Tabai was to blame in part for Mary's death, and so too was he. For too long he'd been obsessed with his fortunes and blind to the needs of his friends. Now he had no friends left alive.

* * *

Helene sat with her back against the tree the assassins had bound her too. She was furious and bored...and her nose was bleeding - a souvenir from an overzealous assassin. She had a few similiar souvenirs in the forms of bumps and scraps but all in all she'd been in far worse positions.

The torches flickered as a figure lumbered into view. A redheaded woman approached her, she was heavy with child and although beautiful in a wild, unkempt kind of way, her cheeks were flushed and she was out of breath and snorting like a bull.

" Damn this giant bloody child of mine" she said, her irish accent sweetening her curses. Helene immediately took her for Anne Bonny and couldn't stop a small smile from creeping onto her face. She could see why Mary liked her.

" Evening, you must be Miss Anne Bonny"

" Oh, That'd be me- and you're the one all these folk've been talking about. Heard you tried to do in old Ah Tabai"

" Oui"

" Well I can't fault you much for that. Though I don't quite understand what're your intentions behind such a murder. It won't do much people around here any good to lose him, fusty old codger though he may be.

Helene scowled and grumbled at this. Anne smiled wryly.

" Aye, I think heard of you. Though Mary called you Elly not Helene". Helene was caught off guard and stared at hard at Anne.

" It's a nickname, from when I was younger", she said absently.

" Suits you, it does. Mary told me you got her in all sorts of trouble back when you were lasses together "

" Mon deiu, that was a bold faced lie. She was twice more wild than I in those days." She said laughing, " Mad too. I have the broken bones and bad memories to prove it".

The two women laughed a little and Anne smiled warmly,

" I've a favour to do for you, Elly" she said, " Though I need one in return - or two to be exact".

" And what can you do for me Anne Bonny?" Helene asked slyly.

" Well I can get you off this island for a start. There're some fishing dinghies anchored in a little cove nearby. I'll set you up with one of those - and some supplies, also a heading for the nearest port."

" And why should I accept this favour of yours? I doubt Ah Tabai means to kill me- I need only wait for a chance to escape". At her words Anne whooped and laughed.

" Now you're a tough one to please," she laughed. " Though you'd be right- I don't think Ah Tabai'll kill you. Here's the rub, I heard he's planning to keep you prisoner on this here island- forever, like. And unless you've an invisible ship anchored somewhere 'round the corner I'm doubting you even sailed here yourself-meaning you've no way or direction back to where you came from."

Helene swore elegantly in french.

" The mad bastard - I have no idea what goes on is head- so you may be right. I don't think its sat well with him that all these years I've used my skills doing what I please. What's your bargain then lass?"

Helene used the term sardonically and it came out strange in her accent but Anne laughed nonetheless.

" Well Madame- the first favour I don't think you'll like. Though I suspect it'll be easier to keep than you think"

" And what is it?"

" Hold off on your feud with Ah Tabai - for now at least. It'll achieve naught. If you must, aim you're vengeance in a more fitting direction. Them bloody british navy- think they own the damned sea. Not a month goes by that I don't see a brother or sister swing for exercising their God given freedom...". Anne scowled, shaking her head as she trailed off. Helene watched her carefully.

" It would be foolish to try again so soon anyway - to kill Ah Tabai. So very well, I'll stay my blades for time. What's this other favour, then?".

Anne smiled nervously.

" Its of a more personal nature. You've heard of Jack Rackham, I take it? He's this child's father" she said, laying hand on her swollen belly. " In a week a British convoy plans to ship him back to England for another trial. Seems while they had him locked up more evidence as to his many, many crimes has come to light" Anne gave a small sigh, " Rackham's a scoundrel, aye, and one day'll have to face judgment for his deeds - I just can't stand it that this child's going to come into this world while his Da's off being hanged across the sea".

" You want me to rescue Rackham from a British convoy?" said Helene incredulously, " If I could work miracles I wouldn't be tied up here, would I? And Ah Tabai'd certainly not be walking about with his heart still beating."

" Ahh, but British convoys're soft- its the Spanish you need to watch for" Anne said helpfully, Helene looked disbelieving, " And its not like you won't be getting nothing out of it- You get your share of the loot. I'd do it myself if weren't fat as cow and twice as useless. Please... Mary'd have done it for me".

Anne's red hair glowed in the torchlight. She looked at Helene with an open face and pleading stare. Her eyelashes were slightly wet and Helene wondered if she'd gotten teary during their talk. She was hunched over her swollen belly and her feet were bare and dusty. She looked grotesquely pregnant. Helene gave a defeated sigh. She'd come to kill Ah Tabai- and that had failed but she knew it wouldn't amount to much in the way of making up for Mary or her child's death. Perhaps helping Anne and Rackham, her friends, was something Mary'd have wanted.

" And what'm I meant to take this convoy with? I don't suppose I can attach some cannons to that dinghy you're going to give me?". At her words Anne looked so relieved and grateful Helene was afraid she might swoon.

" My dear, I've no clue about that. Its the one part of the plan I may admit to having some trouble working out. Mary was such a resourceful woman, not to mention conveniently light-fingered- I expect you're the same sort"

" A purse is one thing, a ship is another matter - never mind finding a crew".

" Don't go underestimating yourself, dear, " Anne said, as she freed Helene form her bonds, " You crept in here with all them assassins about. I expect you'll find a way".

Anne and Helene quickly got lost in the foliage of the jungle as they made their way to the cove and Helene's escape.

Anne's goodbye was brief, their flight through the jungle had taken its toll on her. They agreed to rendezvous after Rakham had been rescued. And then Helene was off, the dinghy sliding silently through the black water.

Havana was hot, dusty and teeming in an exciting and exotic way. Helene immediately found herself charmed. The docks were noisy and bustling, a host of different languages mingled together until they were all as indecipherable as the seagull cries overheard. It was difficult to imagine Europe, now she thought.

During her voyage from Tulum she had some time to consider Anne's request and found she couldn't believe she'd agreed to any of it. She could hardly back out now, though. She'd given her word to a pregnant woman and the life of Rackham, father to the child and friend of Mary, was in her hands.

At least some sort of plan beyond " find a ship" had taken shape in her mind by the time she'd arrived in Havana. What she needed was not just a ship, but also a crew. She had some idea where to find one and the promise of loot was always guaranteed to pique interest - Helene was even willing to forgo her share so long as the job was done and Rackham was retrieved.

With her task clear in her mind she began to search for the seediest tavern Havana was cursed with. Luckily she didn't have to look long.

Strolling through the crowded labyrinth of the city she found an area that looked promising. It announced its presence with the smell of piss, rum and rotten fish. It was a potent aroma but Helene had grown up on the streets of Paris and London, so with a fresh sea breeze blowing about, the odor was more than tolerable.

She followed the sound of bawdy drinking songs to a tavern calling itself "The Golden Gibbet". Both the exterior, and she discovered, interior, of the establishment were rickety and run down. Wood was rotting or splintered and rusted nails from hasty repairs stuck out, ready to snag or pierce flesh. Stepping inside, she entered a haze of sweet tobacco smoke and the dull roar of drunken men singing, shouting and swearing over one another. There were broken bottles on the floor and somewhere beyond the smoky haze and cacophony she could hear a reedy voice and sharp fiddle belting out a lively ditty. She squinted through the smoke, Helene had found exactly what she needed - a bevy of sea-worn men gambling and drinking rum - both in inordinate amounts.

She made her way to the bar to get a drink, always a good start. The barkeep may have quirked his brow a fraction when she ordered but a dead-eyed scowl sent him scurrying. She was lifting her drink to her lips when a croaky voice interrupted her.

" Well hello," said a man who looked to be twice her age with a graying asymmetrical beard that made him look a few cannons short of a frigate. He stood tall and upright though, like a young tree; which was surprising not only for his age but also his level of inebriation - he radiated a miasma of rum and spirits.

Helene gave a perfunctory nod and drained her glass. The liquor burned its way down her throat and dropped into her stomach like a lump of hot lead.

" And what is your name, fair lady?", the man asked her and then belched indelicately. Helene resisted the urge roll her eyes.

" I will make you a deal, sir. First, you tell me where I might find some men, keen for a bit of coin and who're no friends of the British Navy, if you take my meaning - and then you shall have my name"

" Oh I take you're meaning" he said slyly. " But I first come a little closer"

He shifted uncomfortably close to Helene. His breath washed over and she could make out the yellowing corners of his eyes. " I make it a point never to go into business with anyone I don't trust...intimately". Helene could feel her patience rapidly draining. Nimbly, she shifted and side-stepped him.

" On second thought, I don't think you can help me after all." She said and she heard an amused guffaw as she turned. Helene was about to take a step when she felt a light pat on her rear followed by a drunken chortle. She froze, then turned and grabbed the giggling man by the collar. Evidently his previous composure had failed him.

" You better'd been trying to lift my purse, you mangy scut". She released her grip forcefully and he jerked back. The man swayed on his feet for a moment as if buoyed by a strong breeze then he stumbled back one step, then two, then three and - crash- down he went with a table full of liquor cards and reales.

They glinted for a moment against the sodden, splintered floorboards and silence descended. A woman who had right before been dancing a jig was the first to dive for the coins, I cry of outrage was loosed from a one of the men next to the table, followed by most everyone else in the vicinity leaping upon the floor's treasure.

And so, abruptly, chaos broke out. Murderous shouts began to circulate and Helene found herself dodging blows from every direction and trying in vain to keep track of exactly who was fighting who. The answer soon became apparent- everyone was fighting everyone else. Tables were being flipped and spirits were flying. Vaguely she could hear cheering from the outskirts of the brawl.

She dodged as many fists as she could and gave as good she got, grinning when her blows landed.

She heard someone cry out in surprise before three shots rang out in quick succession. Just like that, as quickly as it had begun, the fighting ceased. For a moment the only sound that could be heard were groans of pain from those who'd fared badly in the melee. Helene had a moment or two to survey the damage the brawl had cause to the establishment before a platoon of extremely agitated Spanish soldiers began arresting everyone.

Talking rapidly to each other between shouting orders, they herded everyone out of the tavern

and into the street. Helene had spent some time in Spain but her Spanish was spotty at best and she soon lost track of what the men were saying.

And just like that she found her self being marched efficiently in the direction of what looked to be a barracks or guardhouse and grumbled at her bad fortune.

* * *

**Hey all! Thanks for reading. Please review ;)**


	2. Chapter 2

The room they brought her to was dank and airless but at least provided shelter from the glare of the the way she had quickly been separated from the other brawlers and stripped of her coat and all other belongings - including her purse and weapons. The room was small, and she'd noticed on the way in that almost all of the cells were empty. The only other prisoners she spied seemed to be drunkards. This gave her hope- she suspected that this was not the main prison, merely a temporary holding area for minor criminals.

The cell door was slammed and then locked behind her. The jailer grumbled in Spanish - something about crazy women and left.

Helene immediately noticed she was not alone. She it appeared she had a cell mate. The woman sat on a bench in the corner with lank blonde hair and a yellow, toothy grin. Her wrinkled and dusty dress was cut low enough to give more than an ample view of her bosom and rouge was liberally and haphazardly applied to her lips and cheeks. Helene felt it safe to guess the lady's profession.

" Hullo you,", she slurred, " heard you broke three mens noses and another's arm". She finished off cackling. Helene pointed animatedly at her own face,

" As you may notice, I did not walk away from the exchange unscathed"

" Aw, those scuffs'll be healed proper in no time" She said in an almost motherly tone. " Nice to see a bird throwing some punches for a change"

" You look like you wouldn't be averse to throwing some punches yourself" Helene said devilishly and the woman laughed.

"Aye, that'll be right"

" Where do you hail from, Madam" Helene asked her with what she intended as a warm smile but knew with a split lip it could look a murderous grimace.

" Dorset street, London. I traded that filth for the filth of _paradise_" she said, gesturing to the area around her and Helene laughed.

" Oui, I know that place well" said Helene," Though I do not want to return there"

" Aye, there're many devils in that hell" she said, a grin belying her dark words.

Silence settled between them comfortably for a few minutes. Helene was about to ask her what misdeed had landed her in their cell but just then a Spanish officer approached them.

He stood with his shoulders back and chest puffed, uniform immaculate. The man would have been impressive were it not for his sunburned nose and the evident sweat on his brow- the heat of Havana was clearly far less forgiving in those uniforms.

He gave the cell and officious once-over and then stared at Helene.

" You, the frenchwomen" he said and pointed to her," You will be released in the morning." He spoke English well but his accent was heavy

" Your belongings and your purse. They will go toward damages caused to the city".

Helen leapt from her seat,

" What! There was near a goddamn fortune in gold there. You took all of it?"

" Si. This, I think, it is your first offense. And then also you have no outstanding warrants. On the next time we will not be so lenient".

Helene grabbed the bars and rattled them, furious at herself for getting caught. Of course they had taken her money! Helene grit her teeth in annoyance.

" Curse you! This is bloody robbery!". The officer paused before muttering in Spanish under his breath.

" Your gold it has gone to King Phillip's coffers- you will never see it again"

Helene let loose a a train of French curses before finishing off neatly with one she knew in Spanish. The officers eyes. narrowed.

" Silence. Or then I will give you something better to do with your mouth, yes?" he said coldly.

The other woman in the cell leapt to her feet, to Helene's surprise.

" You come in here and I'll box you man"

" Do not be afraid." sneered Helene, "Every dego I've met is as limp as wet rope." Then she spat in his spaniards Spittle slid down his cheek as his face turned red.

" Puta barata!" he said making for the cell door,

" I think I will teach you a lesson"

He hurried to unlock it and step inside. He should have drawn his sword first. , thought Helene. Swearing, he lunged at Helene who side-stepped and kicked his feet out from under him. The officer met the dusty floor with and oof. Helene delivered a sharp kick to his stomach and then his head.

The man lay still.

" Va au diable" she hissed in his ear quietly before removing his pistol and ammunition. She took his set of keys as well.

Her cellmate stood in the corner, eyes round as saucers.

" Well?" Helene said to her, " Are you coming or not?"

The woman gave her a toothy grin and followed her out of the cell which they locked behind them.

They crept through the corridors carefully, peeking around corners. They were barely any guards about, luckily. She knew that if they had taken her to the fort things would have been different.

It wasn't long before they came upon what looked like a common area for the guards. The passage they were in opened into a large chamber . In the centre was a large wooden table with an assortment of items from food to weapons. A quick survey of the table's contents told her that her belongings were elsewhere. At the far end of the room was a dead fireplace and two spanish soldiers, sitting opposite one another and talking quietly.

Helene noticed a large chest not far from them. She immediately regretted not taking the officers sword earlier. The two guardsman were not exactly facing the chest but they had only to turn their head slightly for it to be in their view.

She could fight off one man if she was unarmed but to beat two she would have to take them by surprise. Mentally she calculated which would be riskier - to sneak up on the men and take her chances, unarmed - or to sneak to the chest and hopefully retrieve her weapons before they noticed her.

She remembered then that she was not alone.

" You any good with one of these?" She asked her companion handing her the pistol after making sure it was loaded.

" Aye, I'm a fair shot" the woman said.

" Stay here and look out. If one of those guards sees me sneaking by I want you to put him down if you can. These things take a lifetime to reload so you only got one shot"

" And the other one?"

" I'll deal with him" Helene said.

She left her cellmate crouched behind some crates near the entrance of the chamber and began to creep forward. The guards were talking in Spanish so quietly and so fast she couldn't understand a word.

She crept closer to the chest, hoping that it did indeed contain what she suspected - her weapons and wristblades. She had felt naked since they'd been taken from her.

If the soldiers had not been so deep in conversation they may have noticed her in the corner of their vision but she made it to the chest unnoticed.

Helene tried to lift the lid- it was locked. She panicked for a moment before remembering the keys she'd taken off the officer earlier. She took them out and they jingled slightly before she clamped them tightly in her fist, muffling the sound. Turning her head slightly she could see the guards had not moved.

Being more careful with the keys this time, she began trying them on the lock. It was difficult to be patient, any second the guards could look in her direction. her heart began fluttering increasingly the longer it took to open the lock.

Finally after trying four different keys it clicked open and Helene was able to lift the lid of the chest. She removed her blades first and quickly put them on. She reached for her pistols and then stopped. In the chest were another pair of unfamiliar wristblades- large, a man's size-

A shout sounded behind her and she turned her head to see the guards making for her, weapons drawn. Helene heard the crack of a shot and the second guard doubled over, blood blooming from his gut.

The other soldier turned to him quickly, confused and Helene saw her chance. She leapt up and buried a blade in his neck. Hot blood burst forth, soaking her sleeve in red. She turned to the other man and did the same, cutting short his agony.

Her cellmate scurried over to her with a bewildered expression, clutching the still smoking pistol tightly in both her hands. Helene realised they had not yet exchanged names.

" I'm so sorry", she said " They was just talking there one moment then they just started shouting and came after you"

" You did fine" Helene reassured her, and turned back to the chest to recover the rest of her effects. She strapped on her holsters and settled her pistols and swords. Both woman breathed deeply for a moment, letting their heart beats slow.

" I think introductions are long past due. My name is Helene Moreaux" She told the woman with a smile.

" Lizzie Higgins" She said with a devious grin and ironic curtsy.

" Well, Lizzie. I don't know about you but I find the hospitality of this establishment rather lacking"

" I am much in agreement Miss Moreaux, What say we move on?"

" Aye," Helene said, " But first I have a quick inquiry to make"

They found Edward Kenway asleep and snoring gently in a small cell near the exit of the prison. Helene had counted it as a possibility that the confiscated wristblades belonged to him. Not many right-minded assassins would get themselves into a situation like this. She smiled wryly as she realized she was counting herself among Kenway's ilk. Hardly right-minded, indeed.

" Oh, its this blighter" said Lizzie, as she looked disappointedly through the bars.

" You know him?" Asked Helene with one brow delicately arched .

" I heard of him is all-" Lizzie said defensively before continuing with a sly glare " Why do you know him?" she asked saucily and Helene scoffed in amusement.

" A colleague of sorts," She said, absently.

" Wasn't he some scurvy ol' pirate once?" Lizzie asked distractedly, " I gone and heard he's in here at least once a week nowadays. Near legless every night and causing trouble. Happens to some of them you know... all that rum and murdering and cannon fire'll drive a man daffy eventually"

Helene stared at Kenway through the gloom. He slept deeply. The generous amount of stubble on his face was verging on a beard and a thin sheen of sweat covered his forehead and cheeks. His clothing was filthy and the sour smell of rum and sweat wafted to her.

An idea began to take shape in Helene's mind and a smile settled on her face. A small bit of vengeance was in order after Tulum.

Helene began to unlock the cell door

" And now what're yous up to? " asked Lizzie, " You gonna drag this bleeding sod out with us?"

" Hardly" Helene said as she looked down at Kenway's sleeping form. He was properly passed out- he wouldn't wake if you fired a cannon next to his ear.

She took out the other set of wristblades that she'd taken from the chest. Carefully, she untangled his arms from their positions and clicked the pieces into the respective slots carefully.

Kenway mumbled absently and turned over on the bench. Helene sighed and exited the cell, locking it behind her. It didn't precisely sit with her well, leaving him there. Giving Kenway some of his weapons back at least soothed her conscience some. The wristblades would not be evident to the guards if they stayed sheathed. If Kenway found he wanted to vacate the tiny prison he could - after all he was much better equipped then she had been earlier.

All that was left was for her and Lizzie to find their way out safely.

The night in Havana was settling noisily. Insects chirped and the song of sailors was heard throughout the town. Lizzie and Helene had left the guardhouse safely behind them and were now making for the harbour.

" What now?" Lizzie asked with a sigh. Helene had been surprised when the woman had continued to stick close to her even after they had reached safety.

" I'm off to sea" Helene told her, " Want to come?"

" Oi, you! Me on a boat? Come on love and give me some of what you's been guzzling"

" Afraid of a bit of water, Lizzie?" asked Helene laughing.

" Aye, I's damn lubber, alright. You wouldn't find me on the deck of ship if my life were depending on it- that voyage to these here islands was enough to set me off it forever" Lizzie finished off scowling.

" Then I've a favour to ask you before you go" Helene said and suddenly the other woman looked vaguely suspicious. " You're advice, really" Helene continued, " I need men, trustworthy mind you, that can sail and...they must have flexible morals"

Lizzie hooted a laugh.

" Hardly a favour at all" she said, " Men with flexible morals are my specialty - so aye, I can surely help you there".

And so they shook hands and parted ways for the evening.


	3. Chapter 3

The next morning brought a piercingly bright glare down upon Havana. Helene made her way to the docks and the Jackdaw. That night she had spent preparing and gathering intelligence - it was as she had suspected. The Jackdaw was in port and in a sad state - barely any of the original crew remained and surely would not stick around for much longer with their Captain on a permanent bender.

The Jackdaw lay peacefully before her, light glistening off the water and onto her hull. Helene felt something almost painful catch in her chest. She really was a gorgeous thing - sleek and mean. Grudgingly she had to respect Kenway for how he treated his ship- she was no humble brig, every inch, every cannon, every bit of rigging or mast had been upgraded, likely at great expense. She was a beauty to gaze and all the better - likely deadly in a fight . Helene's eyes jealously roved over every swell and curve.

Then she took a deep breath and headed for gangplank. This was the part of her plan that would be the most difficult.

" Get up you worthless lay-abouts!" She shouted as she stepped onto the deck of the ship. Reflexively, at her tone of voice, the sparse crew on the Jackdaw's deck leapt to the ready. Suspicion, then hostility quickly clouded their expressions.

" And who in the nine hells d'you think you are wench? You can't ju-"

" Mind your tongue tar, or you'll find yourself at ropes end. I'm here on the authority of Captain Kenway - who is otherwise occupied". At these words she heard groans of frustration and muttered curses.

" Occupied? you mean passed out in his own piss in some dego drinking hole" shouted an angry voice from the back of the group.

" We ain't gotten no pay in near month! Kenway's been too bloody legless to Captain his own bleeding boat!". Their were shouts of agreement amongst the men,

" Quiet! - I said quiet! Or I'll keelhaul the whole sodding lot of you" Helene shouted, when the men settled she spoke quietly, " I know some of you are looking to head for greener pastures?I see most of our compatriots already have. I'm here to tell you that rest of you needn't fret. We'll be heading to intercept some ripe prizes sharply - per the Captain's request."

The crew began muttering amongst themselves. Helene took no notice, glare remaining fixed.

" Oi, just who are you, then. We ain't never seen your mug round the Captain"

" I'm an associate - that's all you sea rats need to know"

" An' we're s'pose to believe that then? I ain't never heard of you and I'll not take orders from some frog bitch", spat a man, stepping forwards. Helene beamed and crooked her finger at him, indicating that he come closer.

Suddenly the man looked less certain...but continued forward nonetheless.

" And what might your name be, sailor?" she asked him.

" Simon...Walters" He said suspiciously.

" Well Master Walters," She said cheerfully before sending her knee into his groin and fist into his chest. He stumbled backward coming to rest with his spine against the ship's rails. Helene leapt to him, her wrist blades drawn and pressed one purposefully against his throat - enough to draw blood but not enough to do mortal damage.

" Perhaps you recognize these then?", the man nodded painstakingly carefully. " Like I said," continued Helene, "I am an associate of the Captain's". She withdrew the blade from the man's neck, crooked her leg under his knee and lifted him over the rails. The result was a short cry and a sudden splash.

Helene swiveled to face the remaining crew.

" My patience is at an end, men" She said, " So i leave the decision up to you- those who would like to get paid and continue on in the employ of Captian Edward Kenway, please do remain aboard. Everyone else can take Walters' example".

There was a moment of silence where the sailors murmured and passed looks between one another. Helene felt her stomach drop-

" Miss Moreaux! Miss Moreaux!" called a sharp voice from the deck, " Permission to come aboard?". It was Lizzie with a bevy of men behind her.

" Ah, Miss Higgins," said Helene, composure regained, " You're right on time - come aboard with those men".

As they stepped upon the Jackdaw Helene made a motion for them to line up. Turning to the Jackdaw's crew she spoke,

" Now we've a full crew with which to conduct our affairs. So, who wants to get paid?" Helene paused, the men looked thoughtful, " I said, who wants to get paid? - Shout aye!" Helene yelled.

" Aye" said the men loudly.

" Music to my ears, boys!" She cried back to them, grinning. " Let's make ready to depart then. Weigh anchor! Get to it"

The sailors scattered on the deck, each to his respective duty. The men Lizzie had brought aboard quickly found something to look busy with- except one it seems. Helene felt a growl rise in her throat when he realised the sea dog was familiar.

" You!" she hissed and grabbed his grubby collar. It was the man from the tavern, the one who'd gotten her thrown in jail. " I should break your legs for the other day"

" Wait, do I know you?" he slurred.

" You know Sam Wolcott?" asked Lizzie.

" No -I mean we met briefly- he's the damned reason I ended up in that cell with you, and my purse stolen"

" Oh, I see", Lizze said thoughtfully before cuffing the man over the head, " You drunken, fool lout" she said to him sharply and Sam Wolcott shrunk bit.

"There is no way he's coming with me" Helene said crossing her arms.

"Hold there," Lizzie said, " You need a quartermaster- and a trustworthy one too. Sam here is right for the job. We go way back him and I"

" He's drunk, its barely past dawn-"

" You got any rum on this ship?" asked Lizzie,

" Doubt it- Kenway had it all from the looks of things"

" Well there you go, he'll dry out real quick when you get out to sea"

" But I don't want to go to sea" Sam chimed in suddenly, and Lizzie cuffed him again.

" You'll go to sea and you'll watch out for this friend of mine. Because I'm asking you to, and because if you don't I swear I'll cut you off. I'll let it be known from here to Nassau that Samuel Wolcott has trouser rot. I will make it certain no lady, lass, bar wench or whore takes up with you. You got that?"

" Jaysus" Sam said, covering his ears " not so loud woman- Why've you got to be so hateful this early in the day"

" You mind yourself," she admonished him with a pointed finger. He groaned dramatically and he headed to help the men with the anchor.

Helene looked on suspiciously, her raised eyebrow said that she had her doubts about the man.

" He doesn't exactly inspire a huge amount of faith. You sure about on this?"

" I didn't tell you last night" said Lizzie, and she huffed impatiently" I weren't just locked up temporary-like. They was going to send to the gallows" She wrinkled her nose in displeasure and sighed petulantly, " So I owe you. Trust me on Sam Wolcott, he's a soft-hearted fool that won't stand for no mutiny,"

" What did you do?" asked Helene and Lizzie scowled,

" Here you go then. I'll tell you when you get back" she said impatiently , " So you better get back, hear?" and she scurried away without a goodbye, crookedly making her way across the gangplank and onto the pier.

" You need a need a helmsman?" hiccuped Samuel, grabbing Helene's attention.

" Not a chance Wolcott" she said, pushing past him and to the ship's wheel.

The Jackdaw glided out of port gracefully, Lizzie waving animatedly from the pier and smudging her the red on her lips to blow kisses.

* * *

Following Bonny's instructions, they found the British quickly- barely a few weeks out at sea. Spotted by a boy in the crow's nest, Helene quickly found them through a spy-glass, north east of their position.

" Douse mains and keep her steady men" She shouted, " I don't want any of those even


End file.
